Recommendations on wood chippers?

JimGnitecki · Dec 11, 2006

I need to clean up several acres, and there are a LOT of Mesquite branches and trees, plus a number of Oak and Elm branches that need to be gathered or cut down, and removed.

I don't want to burn or haul away the wood. I would rather chip it and let it turn into valuable mulch, as my soil needs the help.

I have a JD 3720 (44 hp) so plenty of power for a PTO-driven chipper.

I don't know whether or not I can afford to buy one (a quick market look suggests they cost $1500 to $3000), but if I have to rent one, I'd like to have some idea of what the good brands are.

Anybody out there got the necessary expertise and experience to give me a few pointers?

Jim G

RalphVa · Dec 11, 2006

About the only chippers at around $1500 are the MacKissic and the Jinma, possibly a DR model. Even the Jinma from a recent purchaser is $2000 with shipping. It'll do up to about 6". The Mac will do up to 3" and is a chipper/shredder. I have the TPH-122. It would be like a toy on your tractor. My 18.5 hp 4010 has plenty of power for it. A friend of mine bought a Jinma and used it on his smallest JD, a 24 hp one.

There are others $3000 and up. I don't have any info on them.

Ralph

kenwyatt · Dec 12, 2006

I bought 20 arces a little over a year ago and was in the same posistion. When I bought my 3320 I got a bearcat chipper. I have chipped a fair amount and here is one general thought. The chipper is doing a great job but it is a bottom discharge and I would never do that agian. Have to stop and clean out under it too often. Go with a chute type discharge that will put the material off to a side or better yet into a trailer. There are a couple around that cost less then the Bearcat that look decent. They make one in china a I have seen the on this site in the classifieds for about $1,600. Saw one in person and that is the one I wish I had gone for. My Bearcat was a little bit over $3,000. I will say it does a great job of chipping but the stopping and dragging the material out fron under it every few minutes really slows you down

gordon21 · Dec 12, 2006

A Jinma will cost about $1600-$1700 plus freight from the nearest Jinma dealer. Your profile does not show where you live. I just paid $2000 for mine delivered. Several other recent threads will give you lots of feedback on the unit. I would say that about 95% of it is very positive. The only negative is the need to spend $20 for a couple extra belts for the feed drum. They do come in JD colors.

Rental units will most likely be the Vermeer brand in either a 6" or 12" model. A weekend rental on the 6" is $180 and the 12" about $250 here in western NC. Fuel is not an issue. You will be dog tired and have trailer fulls of chips before you could burn $25 worth of fuel.

If you could get ALL your stuff to be chipped put into several ACCESSABLE piles in advance, renting would be better and cheaper. I rented a 6" Vermeer only one time and had 3 people helping me feed it. We chipped everything I could get to in about 3 hours. Then I had to cut a trail through the lot to get to the rest of the piles scattered around the property, so no more chipping got done that weekend for my $180 spent.

Make sure your piles are accessable before renting. Helpers are easy to find. Everyone wants to feed a chipper. It is actually FUN (for at least a couple hours).

Hearing and eye protection are a must. Chippers get really loud when you are less than 5' away. Toss in a 12' long 3"-4" diameter straight tree trunk, let the feed roller grab it, let go, step back and seconds later you have 2 bags of free mulch. The wife will note how "pretty" the mulch is and like the light coloring. The chips are similar in shape, but will be in lots of different sizes with the mulch being about 90% white. It is a dramatic difference from the dark and stringy cypress or pine bark mulch you see at garden centers.

JimGnitecki · Dec 12, 2006

Wow, this is VERY useful info! Keep it coming, guys and gals!

Jim G

orlo · Dec 12, 2006

Hi:

I have a DR PTO Chipper/Shredder. It's probably a little small for what you want . It'll chip up to 4.5" and shred stuff up to 1.5". I like the shredder for the small stuff as it literally makes the stuff disappear in an instant. It's almost scary to use since stuff just get's sucked into it instead of pulled in gradually as on the chipper.

It works well but I agree with the other comment about bottom discharge. It's a pain. Unless you can find a tub just the right size to fit under it to pull out periodically you find yourself having to reposition the tractor every once in a while. (Or you can shovel the shavings away but that's just as much of a pain).

If you don't "know" you need a shredder then don't get one. It adds a lot to the cost and can double or triple the weight and size of the unit. It is (the shredder) very good for large 'bushy' stuff and even piles of leaves and lawn debris that you wouldn't want to try and run through the chipper. The DR I have weighs about 450lbs and I think the chipper alone is around 175lbs. DR doesn't offer a 'chute' model on the chipper shreader but does on the chipper alone. It's well worth it to be able to direct the chips.

Mine is rated 19-45hp. I've used it on my 2305 (18pto hp) and it works just fine except that with the limited lift height of the 2305 it usually drags getting it on a trailer with the tractor unless I tighten the toplink to tilt it way up. (Also on the 2305 you have to jump the seat safety to run the rear PTO off seat). I haven't used it on my 3320 yet but I'm sure it'll work fine on it also.

jeffinsgf · Dec 12, 2006

I have a Bush Hog. It is a Goossen that was private labeled for Bush Hog. The Goossen is a very well built, very heavy duty unit. It is a chipper/shredder, and my experience matches that of some of the other replies. The shredder part is very fast for the brushy stuff. Since I cut everything over a couple inches for firewood, the combined system works best for my situation.

When the chipper blades are freshly sharpened, the unit gobbles up saplings and branches, making the whole process go smoothly. However, the blades dull quickly, and it is a couple hour process to take them out, sharpen them and reinstall. If the blades are the least little bit dull, you have to force feed the chipper, which makes for a bone-jarring, back aching, chore. A power feed machine looks better and better every time I let my blades go too long between sharpenings.

I am going to support the others who have complained about bottom discharge. Mine has a very good blower attachment, which lets me blow the chips into a trailer or into a pile, or sometimes in the woods, I just scatter them everywhere. I had a small Craftsman self-powered bottom discharge unit, and quickly discovered that was not the way to go. However, in the Goossen design, the blower makes the blade changing process a lot more complicated. If you don't have the blower option, opening the machine up to change blades is pretty straightforward. With the blower, it gets a lot more involved, and you just about have to completely dissassemble the whole machine.

If you have a finite amount of work to do, I would suggest renting a Vermeer or similar heavy duty power-fed machine. If you're going to have this type of work come up again and again, then you need your own. I found a good used machine, and saved at least a thousand dollars. I wish that I had power feed, but I am not sure I wish it 2-3 thousand dollars worth. When I bought mine, I could have bought a new Chinese power-fed unit for just a couple hundred more than I paid for my used machine. But, if you do a search, you'll find that many folks have had to do quite a bit of work on their Chinese chippers. Other than blade sharpening, my unit seems to be bulletproof.

mwark · Dec 12, 2006

I have a Patu 6 1/2. I have been very happy with it and we find that the chips are more useful than we ever anticipated. We have 40 acres and I use it mostly for cleaning up after cutting firewood. We are always adding an ATV trail or snowshoe path and the chips are great for that. The big decision for you will be hydraulic feed or not? There are times that I wish I had it but not often enough that I wish I had spent the extra money.

One note, chipping in the summer with full foliage is much more of a challenge than fall and winter.

JimGnitecki · Dec 13, 2006

I'm getting a great education here!

Jim G

swines · Dec 13, 2006

I have a Bear Cat. Wood Chippers Chipper Shredders Stump Grinders Vacuums Trim Mowers & Truck Loaders by Bear Cat

I like the design because the feed chutes are easy to get to.

They're made in North Dakota - if point of manufacture is a consideration.